Arsenal Sign Arshavin: A Thing That Happened

Arsenal have signed Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St. Petersburg in a deal reported to be worth a club-record £16.9 million. The transfer was briefly delayed because of weather. There. See how easy that was to say?

Arsenal Sign Arshavin: A Thing That Happened

In case you’re not clicking on that trackback, enjoy this quote (which I completely missed) from the Telegraph story:

A statement on Arsenal’s website confirmed that their new recruit would wear the No 23 jersey, as Arshavin had revealed earlier on his official website. The number had been unused since the departure from the club of Sol Campbell, who chose the shirt in honour of basketball legend Michael Johnson, who also wore the number.

I guess this is the moment to confess what a huge Michael Johnson fan I am. He was my favorite center on the Chicago Longhorns. Man, that guy could plunge.

The Arshavin effect: seeing pictures of him posing in an Arsenal shirt made me happy for no reason, and I don’t even support Arsenal. Something to do with the fact that he looks to be about the same age as Aaron Ramsey and co.